When Donald Trump pardoned the Jan. 6 rioters, I stated that, for the most part, I didn’t care.
I was not worried about clemency for the people who were walking around the Capitol like tourists, but some individuals with criminal records also received pardons, as did some people who attacked police and had clearly nefarious intentions, individuals I did not believe deserved a break.
I stated at the time that if pardon recipients went on to commit new crimes, that would be on Trump, and Democrats would feast on it, and that exact scenario just played out.
During the 2024 election cycle, Trump had stated his intention to pardon Jan. 6 rioters, but he claimed that administration officials would be reviewing all of the cases on an individual basis.
That clearly never happened, as Trump went on to issue a blanket pardon for virtually all of those involved that fateful day.
When the media dug into the Jan. 6 pardons, it was revealed that there were numerous people granted clemency who had serious criminal records, as were many of those seen assaulting police during the riot.
The first stain for Trump came only days after the pardons were issued, when Matthew Huttle was shot and killed by police in Indiana during a traffic stop.
Christopher Moynihan, 34, one of the Capitol rioters who was pardoned by Trump, has just been arrested for making threats against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
According to a CBS News report, Moynihan sent a message saying, “Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live."
He continued, “Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated. I will kill him for the future.”
This exact scenario is why I did not support blanket pardons. This will be teed up by Democrats during the next election cycle and used in an effort to influence voters. As I stated before, the moment Trump pardoned these people, he owned any nefarious acts they might commit in the future. We can argue all day about whether that assessment is fair or not, but that is just the way the game is played right now.
The timing of this recent arrest could not have been worse for Trump, as another report just broke about the president's special counsel pick.
Paul Ingrassia was tapped by Trump to lead the Office of Special Counsel, with his confirmation hearing scheduled for Thursday, but I suspect that is now in jeopardy after scandalous text messages were leaked.
Ingrassia reportedly stated, “I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it.” He also allegedly texted, “MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his ‘holiday’ should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs.” In another message, he allegedly wrote, “No moulignon holidays … From kwanza [sic] to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth.”
If the reports are true, Trump not only needs to pull the nomination, but he also needs to come out and immediately denounce the statements made by Ingrassia, or Democrats are going to feast. I don’t know who is vetting people for Trump, but they really need to do a better job. There is just no excuse for this.
